Ice Cream vs Gelato

What’s the difference between gelato and ice cream? Is it just another fanciful name for ice cream? We have been asked this question many times when F&B establishments approach us to supply them our artisanal gelato. What about sorbet and sherbet? Are they the same? We will explain in detail the differences between gelato, ice cream, sorbet & sherbet in this blog post.

Fat content in ice cream and gelato
When we formulate our gelato recipes at Carrara, we typically keep the fat content within the 4 to 9% range compared to ice cream which has fat content of between 14 to 25%. In Singapore, it’s common for commercial ice cream to have fat content as high as 28 to 30%. The next time you are at the supermarket, take a look at the nutritional labels of any commercial ice cream brands and you will know what I mean. The lower fat content of gelato has a direct impact on the texture of the finished product.

Overrun in ice cream and gelato
Overrun is basically a technical term that we use which means air. When we produce ice cream or gelato, the mixture is churning at high speeds. The duration of this churning, churning speed and temperature which this churning occurs will result in different amounts of air being incorporated into the mixture. Ice cream has higher overrun of between 40 to 60% compared to gelato which has an overrun of about 20%. The amount of overrun directly affects the texture and taste profile which we will explain in the next point below.
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Texture & taste
With lower overrun (air), gelato has a denser texture with more ingredients per unit volume compared to ice cream. This results in a more pronounced & stronger taste profile of gelato compared to ice cream. The lower overrun together with the lower fat content gives gelato its dense and sticky texture that you see often.

Serving style & temperature
Due to the dense & sticky texture of gelato, gelato is commonly served with a gelato spatula/spade. This denser texture enables us to sculpt gelato into various shapes such as gelato roses on cones. Ice cream on the other hand is scooped with a rounded scoop and served in spherical forms in the shape of a ball. With proper training and skills, gelato can also be scooped using a round ice cream scoop like what we do at Carrara.
 
With lower sugar content than ice cream, gelato can be served at a warmer temperature between -11 to -13 degree celsius. Ice cream is served typically at a colder temperature between -18 to -20 degree celsius. The warmer serving temperature of gelato has a less numbing effect on the tongue and will enable you to taste the gelato much better than the colder ice cream.

Sherbet vs Sorbet
The Arabs used to freeze fruit juices in containers surrounded by crushed ice and salt and the called this dessert sharbat, which probably is the origin of the English word sherbet.

Sherbet
Sherbet is made up of fruits (fresh or puree), dairy products (milk, cream, skimmed milk powder), sugar & water. It contains less than 50% dairy in the total liquid, which can be water, fruit juice or fruit puree or a combination of these and 1 to 2% milk fat.

Sorbet
Sorbet is made up of fruits (fresh or puree), sugar & water. Fat content for sorbet is typically 0% (other than whatever is naturally occurring in the fruit itself) but has a higher sugar content than sherbets. Without any dairy products, sorbet makes a good choice as a vegan product.
 
At Carrara, we only make gelato, sorbet & sherbet using natural and fresh ingredients. We do not make ice cream because we prefer to offer our customers a healthier frozen dessert that has a stronger taste profile, with less fats and sugar, without the use of artificial flavouring & additives.

We hope that you have a better understanding of the differences between gelato and ice cream, sorbet & sherbet at the end of this blog post. Cya at Carrara!
 
References:
Gelato Week Base by Carpigiani Gelato University
Frozen Desserts by The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Francisco J. Migoya
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